3 Reasons to Tour the Circuit
If you’ve never visited a historic opera house (or heard of one), you’re in for a treat. Tour the Colorado Historic Opera Houses Circuit for a unique experience.
Come to a modern-day show and be surrounded by the elegance of a historic theater, set deep within the majestic Rocky Mountains. Take a tour of the opera houses and learn of the people who, over more than a century, kept the arts alive within the famous walls. Explore the small mountain towns that support the opera houses, and recreate in vast forests and peaks. 📷: Diana Lange
Here are 3 more reasons to visit.
1) Savor a Live Show
Come to the opera houses for live performances of all kinds! Enjoy live music to theater, comedy, dance, festivals, and more. Check our calendar for upcoming performances!
📷: Amanda Tipton Photography
2) Meet a Different Side of the Wild West
You’ve heard about the rowdy saloons, gun-wielding outlaws, and busy brothels from America’s frontier days. Did you know there was a softer side, a movement to bring culture to the West?
As mining towns grew, mining magnates and other wealthy residents built opera houses to create oases for arts and culture. An opera house was a symbol that a mining camp had “arrived.” Come see the finery lavished on the opera houses in faraway mountain towns.
3) See Truly Rare Gems
Between 1860 and 1920, 132 opera houses were built in Colorado.* Today, many are being used for other purposes or are no longer in existence.
All of the Circuit opera houses are well over 100 years old and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. All have undergone extensive rehabilitation or renovation to survive the long winters in Colorado’s mountains…and still they stand, welcoming guests today.
Despite the repairs, all retain their original splendor. Tour the Circuit for a rare opportunity to see the opera houses in much the same way that people did at the turn of the 20th century—as stunning venues for live entertainment.
Learn about the opera houses and local attractions. Then plan a trip!
📷: Jordan Curet
* From “Local Glories: Opera Houses on Main Street, Where Art and Culture Meet” by Ann Satterthwaite
📷: Diana Lange (Top featured photo)
